I haven't confessed my
sins for a while, so here is my opportunity to unburden my soul! Let’s hope no penance is imposed..
Our patio is annually
infested with ants, which invariably find their way to the kitchen. Myriads of them!
For several years, I tried
various powders but never succeeded in eliminating the ants and I was getting
rather frustrated.
Mercifully (if that’s the
right word here), on a radio gardening programme a few years ago, I heard someone
advising the use of a kettle of boiling water as the most effective method
known to him. I think it was Bob Flowerdew, though I’m not entirely sure.
It worked absolutely and I
have used it every year since. I know it’s
cruel and I feel sick when I’m doing it.
As I pour the water, a constant, rather involuntary, “O God, o God, o
God!” keeps escaping my lips…
It's an interesting question about gardening guilt.
House moths and saw fly - I have zero qualms. They are a plague and don't count as wildlife.
Snail and slugs I take out too, but with more qualm quotient, esp as I know not all slugs or snails eat live plants and lots live on each other and detrius. Also I'm not at all sure that snipping them up makes any difference at all.
Cats and pigeons are shouted at and shooed away specifically because the poo everywhere;
foxes, spiders and snakes are fine. Moles and badgers would be fine if I had them and I would alter the landscape to accomodate them. I don't grow veg or lawns.
Garden moths and butterflies (and their larvae) are welcome. I haven't used slug pellets etc for years mostly because I don't want to poison frogs or birds by mistake.
Rats and house mice don't count as "wildlife". I wouldn't flinch at end-of-life traps, but I am not squeamish. As I eat vension, I would like to know how to shoot and dress a deer; it seems to have intergrity to closely own and be informed about the consquences of our actions.
As others have commented, I feel worse about the dairy industry. I eat and drink mostly organic from small farms where the humane husbandry standards are high, but the basics of farming mean the industries are too high in emissions and the waste of live, 'unuseful' baby animals is just too high to be acceptable.
@Sam 37 😊 We get ants in and under our front porch step and they swarm into our sitting room. I discovered an ant repellent called ‘ExAnts’ ... you spray it on the area where ants are troublesome and they will avoid it ... it’ll last up to 6 weeks from one spraying. Our summer has been ant-free and no ants have been killed in protecting our home 🏡 🐜 🐜 🐜
ExAnts isn’t a chemical insecticide .., it’s a deterrent made from aromatic plants and manufacturered in Europe (Germany I think) ... you can buy it online.
I have no connection with the manufacturer. It just works 😎
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Your penitence is profoundly moving, Sam. You deserve absolution.
Sometimes, we all do what we absolutely hate. That's life. I hate stamping on those voracious slugs but I think I overfeed the birds and the hedgehog, so they practise some kind of happy co-existence!
Now that Dove has informed us of a humane way to deal with ants, I'm sure you will never need to kill them again. I know you don't even eat meat, so I'm not surprised you loathed killing the ants.
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day..
will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their
character
ExAnts isn’t a chemical insecticide .., it’s a deterrent made from aromatic plants and manufacturered in Europe (Germany I think) ... you can buy it online.
I have no connection with the manufacturer. It just works 😎
Thank you, Dove, that's most useful to know.
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day..
will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their
character
@Sam 37 😊 We get ants in and under our front porch step and they swarm into our sitting room. I discovered an ant repellent called ‘ExAnts’ ... you spray it on the area where ants are troublesome and they will avoid it ... it’ll last up to 6 weeks from one spraying. Our summer has been ant-free and no ants have been killed in protecting our home 🏡 🐜 🐜 🐜
ExAnts isn’t a chemical insecticide .., it’s a deterrent made from aromatic plants and manufacturered in Europe (Germany I think) ... you can buy it online.
I have no connection with the manufacturer. It just works 😎
Posts
I haven't confessed my sins for a while, so here is my opportunity to unburden my soul! Let’s hope no penance is imposed..
Our patio is annually infested with ants, which invariably find their way to the kitchen. Myriads of them!
For several years, I tried various powders but never succeeded in eliminating the ants and I was getting rather frustrated.
Mercifully (if that’s the right word here), on a radio gardening programme a few years ago, I heard someone advising the use of a kettle of boiling water as the most effective method known to him. I think it was Bob Flowerdew, though I’m not entirely sure.
It worked absolutely and I have used it every year since. I know it’s cruel and I feel sick when I’m doing it. As I pour the water, a constant, rather involuntary, “O God, o God, o God!” keeps escaping my lips…
We get ants in and under our front porch step and they swarm into our sitting room. I discovered an ant repellent called ‘ExAnts’ ... you spray it on the area where ants are troublesome and they will avoid it ... it’ll last up to 6 weeks from one spraying. Our summer has been ant-free and no ants have been killed in protecting our home 🏡 🐜 🐜 🐜
ExAnts isn’t a chemical insecticide .., it’s a deterrent made from aromatic plants and manufacturered in Europe (Germany I think) ... you can buy it online.
I have no connection with the manufacturer. It just works 😎
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Sometimes, we all do what we absolutely hate. That's life. I hate stamping on those voracious slugs but I think I overfeed the birds and the hedgehog, so they practise some kind of happy co-existence!
Now that Dove has informed us of a humane way to deal with ants, I'm sure you will never need to kill them again. I know you don't even eat meat, so I'm not surprised you loathed killing the ants.
I have a dream that my.. children.. one day.. will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character
Martin Luther KingI have a dream that my.. children.. one day.. will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character
Martin Luther King